Contents

After the first general election to the National Assembly in 1933, King Prajadhipok gave the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall to the new legislature. The Throne Hall was previously part of Dusit Palace. Throughout the years the composition of the National Assembly increased and the Throne Hall became too small to accommodate all the members and the parliament's support offices. Three attempts were made to build a new building, however each failed because the government in power was terminated before a budget could be appropriated.[2]

The fourth attempt, however, was a success. King Bhumibol Adulyadej appropriated to the National Assembly royal land immediately north of the Throne Hall for the site of the new Parliament House. Construction began on 5 November 1970, with a budget of 51,027,360 baht. The new Parliament House complex is composed of three buildings:

The First Building: or the Parliament House, has three storeys and contains meeting chambers for the National Assembly, shared by both the Senate and the House. It also contain the offices of the President and Vice President of the National Assembly and the deputy presiding officers.

The Second Building: a seven-story building contains the Secretariat and offices of the National Assembly as well as its printing press.

The Third Building: a two-story building used as the parliament club with facilities for assembly members.

Parliament House was first used on 19 September 1974, as the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall became once more a part of the Dusit Palace and returned permanently to the Thai monarchy. From then on Parliament House became the primary building used for the National Assembly, only the State Opening is held in the Throne Hall.

At the front of the legislative building is a statue of a seated King Prajadhipok The statue is only half life-size and depicts the king in royal regalia, sitting on the Phuttan Kanchanasinghat Throne. The Thai Parliament Museum is underneath the statue.

A new parliament building, named Sappaya-Sapasathan, is due to be inaugurated in mid-2019. It was contracted for in 2013 and was scheduled to be opened in 2015. It sits on a bank of the Chao Phraya River in Kiakkai, occupying 300,000 m2 of land. The site of the current parliament building is scheduled to be returned to its owner, the Bureau of the Royal Household, by the end of 2018.[3]